Redemption Cancels European Tour Dates

Los Angeles metal act Redemption has issued the following update about the band canceling their European tour dates:

"Dear friends: I am sorry to say that we are faced with the reality of having to cancel Redemption's intended European shows the summer.

"Part of our unique sound comes from our vocalist, Ray Alder of Fates Warning. As a long-time fan of Fates myself, I have always maintained that Redemption would not interfere with Ray's commitment to Fates, and we have worked very carefully and diligently since Ray joined Redemption in 2005 to ensure that both bands would be able to record and perform without conflict.

"We intended to play several shows in several countries this summer in support of our new CD, Snowfall on Judgment Day. Our management and local promoters in Europe worked hard to line up some great shows that we were very much looking forward to playing. Originally, there was no conflict, even when Fates announced some special shows and festivals to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their fantastic Parallels CD.

"However, some additional shows were then added on Fates' schedule. We intended to carry on and simply reschedule some of our dates, shortening the tour to ensure that there would not be a conflict. Again, our management and local promoters worked hard to ensure we'd be able to do this. It became economically more difficult, but Redemption was prepared to accept that since we really wanted to play for our fans in Europe. As of a week ago, we still intended to move forward.

"However, after considering it, Ray determined that the schedule -- which would have involved him performing headline sets with us, then taking a very long flight, having only a brief time to recover before performing headline sets with Fates, then having to fly back to Europe and perform again -- is simply too much to take on. There's just no way to do it while performing at the level that I know Ray wants to.

"So I'm left with the unfortunate reality that we're not going to be able to play Europe this summer. Please understand we've done everything we can to find a solution -- but none were available to us. We look forward to coming to Europe at another time, and thank you for your interest and support."